BEST SHOTS: AMAZING #538, WONDER WOMAN #4, LOCAl #8, and MORE...

[MattBrady]

Best Shots for 2-26-07: 2nd Anniversary Edition
by The Best Shots Team, courtesy of ShotgunReviews.com
Your Host: Troy Brownfield

Excuse me while I invoke Jeremy Piven: TWO YEARS, MAN! That’s right, kids; today marks the exact day that we began the Best Shots column for Newsarama. In fact, that first column went so well that poster Royal Nonesuch said, several pages into the thread, “I can only imagine what the fine folks at Shotgun Reviews think of us, and if they're starting to rethink this whole "Let's go do reviews on Newsarama" idea.”

Honestly, though, we really have a great time doing this column. Our group was gelled into a pretty good machine, and I think that we put out a strong piece every week. I’d like to think that we’ll eventually be the best. I’ve certainly found myself surrounded by some very talented folks who are willing to review everything from the bigs to the “arty” to the littlest indies and webcomics. I do, however, want more coverage of Sonic the Hedgehog (for God’s sake, issue #173 streets in March).

This is also a big week for the team for another reason. ShotgunReviews.com gets a complete overhaul and relaunch as of today. When I founded the Mighty Shotgun in 1999, the internet was a very different place. We’ve had our ups and downs as a site, but mostly endured. Now it’s a period to thrive again. We redesigned the site to reflect a more current sensibility, and more than doubled the number of writers involved. If you’ve never checked out the site, I humbly ask you to do so as we continue to look at comics, music, film, wrestling, television, the culture in general, and much more. Here endeth the shameless plug.

And before we get into it, thanks again to the team. Give ‘em a hand, won’t you?

Hey, just because it’s a special day, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t: Column Rules!

1) Be kind to one another and my hard-working team. It’s fine to disagree with the reviews or with each other, but let’s stick to factual points and literary themes and leave the personal stuff out. Intentionally rude behavior isn’t welcome. And for the record, when you signed the terms of service agreement, you acknowledged that your posts can be deleted for inappropriate stuff. So don’t hide behind free speech when you know what you’re doing.

2) Each review is individually credited to the person who actually wrote it. Although Matt Brady’s name is on the post at the upper left, that’s because he is Vince McMahon, and we are transient talent that will eventually burn out in a haze of performance enhancers and bad behavior.

3) If you happen to catch a factual error or a typo, drop me a personal message and I’ll correct it. In a column that can often run up to 20 pages in Word doc form, things do sometimes squeak through. I’d rather you just zap me a mail than derail the entire discussion. I’ll delete any post about grammar, mainly because that means that the person could find a mistake but couldn’t be bothered to read the top of the column.

Game on!

The Adventures of TinTin vol. 1 (3-in-1)
Written & Illustrated by Hergé
Published by Little, Brown
Reviewed by Michael C Lorah

Like every reader, there are plenty of unread classics in my life, things that I’ve heard so much about, but haven’t found the time or drive or impetus to read just yet. With so many classic pieces of literature already in existence and more being written every day, I know that I’ll never get to them all, but I finally decided to sit down with one of the more revered comics of all time and see how Hergé’s TinTin holds up seven decades after its debut.

This volume collects the TinTin stories TinTin in America, Cigars of the Pharaoh and The Blue Lotus. Each story clocks in at slightly over 60 pages, but those sixty pages are a stark contrast to modern, decompressed comics. TinTin’s adventures race from setting to setting, with nearly a dozen cliffhangers per story, and plenty of engaging twists, turns and spills. Hergé doesn’t waste even a single panel – everything moves the story forward with breakneck urgency, yet still takes just enough time to make the characters relatable and enjoyable to read about.

Hergé’s open, clean cartooning is deceptively simple, pulling the reader in and allowing them to identify with the simple face of the protagonist, but the precise storytelling and intricate backgrounds always ground the scene in a clear, specific reality. Hergé takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the world, from prohibition Chicago and Indian reservations to Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, India and 1930’s Japan-occupied China.

There is an interesting dichotomy in how Hergé portrays race. In TinTin in America, his black characters are the most offensive, black-face burlesque, and his depiction of American Indians as easily confused, borderline savages was extremely hard to get past. However, he seems to take great pains to present rounded, researched images of Asian Indian and Chinese societies in the later tales. I can’t say what caused the change, but there is a definite concerted movement to make the foreign characters more than simple stereotypes in the latter two stories.

TinTin in America is the least satisfying story for more reasons than cultural racism, though. It also has the most haphazard plot, with TinTin coming to America to shut down Chicago’s mafia. After a brief encounter with Al Capone, TinTin begins a long-running feud with fictional gangster Bobby Smiles. After capturing Smiles, Hergé shoehorns in another 17-page Chicago tough guy for the intrepid reporter to bring low. It seems disjointed and rambles when the denouement of the Bobby Smiles’ chase should have brought a sense of closure. The humor and action is forced and unnatural, to the point where TinTin survives an exploding train by being thrown into a tree, effectively dashing whatever drama might have been.

Fortunately, both of the remaining stories in the book were quite satisfying. As noted, the natives are depicted in a much more realistic fashion, and the story twists all fit together with the narrative’s main objective. TinTin starts out with a mystery to uncover, and through all of the side-quests and distractions, he remains on task and fishes out the villains at a satisfying conclusion.

The frequent cliffhangers are an interesting element. TinTin often escapes due to nothing more than sheer luck, which detracts somewhat from his status as a resourceful, heroic reporter who always gets his man, but the finale of each story displays TinTin’s ability to properly bait a trap and solve the more perplexing riddles.

Although some elements clearly mark TinTin as a product of its time – the simple humor, the occasionally racist caricature – the stories still have a brisk, lively feel that most readers should be able to appreciate. One can only hope that today’s comics will hold up this well in seventy years.

Michael contributed some stellar NYCC coverage this week; read it all!

The Amazing Spider-Man #538
From: Marvel
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Ron Garney and Bill Reinhold
Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

When we last left Peter Parker’s family, he was running around as Spider-Man with Captain America’s forces, preparing for the big, nonsensical battle against the forces of Iron Man, while Mary Jane and Aunt May were holed up in a scummy motel. Across the street, a sniper paid by the Kingpin had his sights trained on them, with instructions to kill Peter or, should Peter fall in battle, to kill MJ and May.

This issue is the concluding seventh chapter of “The War At Home,” and it does indeed end with one of those three targets getting shot. It’s not an immediately fatal wound, the victim is hit in the side and is still conscious and speaking in the last panel, so if that person is going to die, it will be in the next storyline.

I think it will be a shame if they do die, partly because I really like the family unit that JMS has developed out of the trio during his run on ASM, and partly because it seems a little soon to visit fatal repercussions upon Spidey for choosing to unmask. There are a lot of great stories to be told regarding an outted Peter Parker and its effects on Aunt May and MJ. It took us 40 years to get to this exciting new status quo for Spidey, why rush into a new status quo less than a year later?

The bulk of the story deals with the events of Civil War #7, and JMS and Garney actually do a much better job than Millar and McNiven at depicting those events. Pages three and four deliver the sort of exciting, character-packed splash page of the Battle of Manhattan that was completely absent from CW #7 (In this comic you actually get the sense that a superhero war is being fought). We also see things like Cap using acrobatics and his shield against Iron Man, and Shellhead using his repulsor rays.

JMS gives us some reaction from J. Jonah Jameson and the Kingpin about the results, while being coy about the ending of the battle (this issue spoils nothing over who wins the Cap vs. Iron Man battle), and Garney gives us some scenes of devastation and wounded heroes that far outshine the longshot of burning buildings that ended the battle in CW. JMS alludes to “fallen heroes…who will never get up again,” during the battle, and goes on to say that Spidey, Coldblood and Triathalon are among the missing. (Nooooo! Not Triathalon!).

It’s not quite required reading for Spider-Man fans, dramatic as the shooting is (you won’t know what happened until next issue anyway), but it is required reading for Civil War readers; like the rest of this arc, this final issue contains more relevant character work and action than anything happening in the main event, even if it occasionally fails to match up to it.

Wonder Woman #4
From: DC
Writer: Allan Heinberg
Artists: Terry and Rachel Dodson
Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

What has marveled me most about the delays on Wonder Woman is just how little time is visible in the finished product. The plots don’t have insane amount of real-world research, like, oh, From Hell or Promethea, nor do they contain a ton of DCU back-story, like Infinite Crisis. In fact, Heinberg’s relaunch of the title came after a reboot of Wonder Woman history (shunting it’s beginning back to the Silver Age rather than post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, the difference of six years DCU time, according to my Zero Hour timeline), and his portrayal doesn’t seem like he’s been slavishly matching things up with previous runs on the character or keeping track of who’s using what character where elsewhere in the DC sandbox.

It’s basically amounted to a lot of running around and fighting, punctuated by dramatic reveals of villains and guest-stars; at his best, Heinberg’s writing on b]Wonder Woman[/b] has been like Geoff Johns at his worst, and Johns manages at three-to-four scripts a month.

This storyline is, at this point, completely impossible to reconcile with DC continuity (and just four issues after a reboot!) Check it out. “Who is Wonder Woman?” is the story of Diana reclaiming her Wonder Woman mantle, after a year of not being Wondy, from first her designated protégé Donna Troy and then Circe, who has stolen her powers, right? JLoA #0-#5 depicts Diana, already powered up and dressed as Wonder Woman, meeting with Batman and Superman for the very first time since the end of Infinite Crisis (So, obviously this arc of Wonder Woman takes place before JLoA.) In Justice Society of America, Wonder Woman (as Wonder Woman), joins Superman and Batman to request of Alan Scott and Jay Garrick that they build a bigger and better JSA, which results in their new headquarters and an expanded roster including the likes of Liberty Belle.

Still with me? Okay, so this issue of Wonder Woman features Diana (powerless, and not yet Wonder Woman), visiting the brand-new JSA headquarters (dig the chairs!) and meeting with the JSA, including Liberty Belle. In other words, this story doesn’t really fit into the current DCU timeline, which just restarted (the oldest one of those three books is only on it’s fifth issue).

In editor Matt Idelson’s defense, maybe he noticed all this when he got Heinberg’s script for #4, but decided not to mention it, for fear it would lead to another several months of delays if Heinberg rewrote the scene (And clearly it’s the script screwing the timeline; Terry Dodson couldn’t have drawn this without seeing the art for JSoA #1, nor could Heinberg have written it without having seen the script for that issue).

It boggles my mind that a company of DC’s size and stature would relaunch a title featuring one of their biggest icons and seemingly do it by the seat of their pants.

Anyway, that’s page four on which this issue derails. Everything that follows isn’t worth reading either, given that the big cliffhanger ending, in which Wondy’s whole rogues gallery convene to attack her, is to be continued in a special, annual or future issue that has yet to be announced (or written or drawn).

The only thing even remotely recommending this issue is the Dodsons’ art. I’ve been continually impressed with the costume redesigns Terry Dodson’s contributed, and here we get two looks for Circe; the evil sorceress one on the cover, and the Evil Wonder Woman one she adopts inside. But as great as the art is, it’s still only half a comic book.

Caleb writes on comics for Las Vegas Weekly and at EverydayisLikeWednesday.blogspot.com.

Brave and the Bold #1
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: George Perez with Bob Wiacek and Tom Smith
From: DC Comics
Review by Rev. O.J. Flow

The components are all there to make Brave and the Bold an absolute winner.

Highly-regarded writer with a bottomless knowledge of DC lore tailor-made for a team-up anthology? Check. Legendary artist who is still more than capable of bringing his A-game with decades of high-profile product under his belt? Check. Excellent production support from some of the best in the business? Yup, you guessed it. Oh, ad the tardiness of Kevin Smith (originally slated to be the scribe on this like FIVE YEARS AGO) is nowhere to be found. So why doesn’t the debut of this long-awaited series have me nearly as much in geekstasy as it should?? To be sure, Brave and the Bold, in terms of bringing old school sensibilities by veteran creators back to the fore, is head and shoulders above the recent work in Hawkgirl (Walt Simonson, Howard Chaykin) and the JSA multi-part story that George Perez happened to contribute to that concluded the last volume’s run (written by Paul Levitz). But, ultimately, some staid storytelling fails to give heft to what could’ve been a delightful return to Silver Age DC sensibilities at the expense of modern day malaise. I suppose it’s just that it would’ve been nice to see the teaming of two of DC’s powerhouses, Green Lantern and Batman here, break some new ground with a project that screams guaranteed hit.

What confounds me most of all, I suppose, is the writing. I’m a big fan of Mark Waid, and it’s for reasons that should’ve made B&B #1 a slam dunk. Waid has a penchant for nostalgia, especially the works derived from DC’s Silver Age. These days, I’d say he is to that era what James Robinson is (and, to a compatible extent, Geoff Johns) to the Golden Age. I felt that Waid brought great sensibilities to the retelling of the Justice League’s origins in JLA: Year One, and the mood and pacing of Superman: Birthright was miles ahead of what John Byrne did in the mid-80s with Superman’s epic revamping. I don’t know what it is, call me crazy, but writers seem to get over-expositional when plotting for George Perez. Even when the notorious Roulette is introduced, she’s way more manic and talky than se ever was in the pages of Johns’ JSA.

I will give Waid this: by my estimation his story is blessedly free of any baggage that comes from the Infinite Countdown to Identity Crises on 52 Earths. For that reason alone this book assured itself of a passing grade. Plus he invokes nostalgia in a manner that’s always welcome. For example, in a scene where Bats and GL are tackling an alien threat in the Batcave, one could not help but think of the old 1960s TV show when the Batmobile was used to blast a hole through this wily beast’s throat. And I was tickled in an ever-so-brief moment when the two are investigating the book’s murder mystery in Las Vegas in their civilian guises, playing 21, and Bruce Wayne invokes Barry Allen when Hal Jordan goes on a hot streak. Speaking of which, it’s almost negligible at first, but it’s funny to see Bruce begin their round of gambling with all the money and the girls hanging on him, and in a quick sequence it all falls upon Hal (with Jordan floating Wayne chips to boot!). And I can’t put my finger on it, perhaps it’s thanks to Waid’s dialoging, but I had an easier time reading Batman/Bruce’s lines in Kevin Conroy’s voice than I ever have before. And there’s no getting around the fact that bad Perez work on the Dark Knight is almost impossible to come by. I loved in the early Eighties how he mastered his own take on how Neal Adams set the standard for Batman. But like any quality artist, he’s evolved with the character. Any time this artiste extraordinaire gets to work on the character is good for everyone. Just give him some more spooky intense scenes and we’re all good. If anything, Waid didn’t give Batman any instance where he could intimidate his allies OR foes.

Of course, like I’ve already addressed a bit, what brought so many people to this party is the return to monthlies by the peerless George Perez. I’ve heard musings already that he’s turning in so-so work, but even if that was the case, his average work blows away most of the overrated newbies in the big studios’ stable by miles. Having him supported by Bob Wiacek is the way to go as he inks in a style completely complimentary to Perez’s pencils. That he makes it look like Perez handled every step of the artistic process is a good thing. Nothing is better than work penciled AND inked by George Perez, and Wiacek earns props for creating that effect. Despite having a bit of a problem navigating some of the action in the Batcave sequence I mentioned earlier (page 10 and 11, sadly, fails to gel properly), I’m still in awe of the detailed work Perez brings to this one issue. Backgrounds, for Pete’s sake, and good ones! And while it took a minute to register, I like how Perez weaved in the action taking place with Batman with Green Lantern when they were fighting the aliens, Atum and Neferto, who were responsible for the homicide investigation that brought them to Vegas in the first place. It was also appreciated that Perez is not so stuck in his own style that he can’t invoke certain design aspects of the characters that are the norm these days, especially with GL and how his energy signature is laid out when he uses his power ring. Alex Ross, please take notes.

I guess what left me a bit flat was the lack of any “Oh SNAP!” moments. Gone was any tension manifested in recent GL stories with Batman, though it does stand to reason that things are cool with the two as evidenced in the current Justice League of America. But here are two heroes who couldn’t be more different, and we get the same lack of character development you’d expect from the title when it was a DC staple three decades ago. Give this stuff some bang, guys! We still need to see how things play out and if a seamless segue from Batman co-starring with Green Lantern to Jordan with Supergirl can happen in issue #2 to rule whether or not the creators have a solid premise built for this team-up book, passing the baton and all, but I will say this much: for a book in need of improvement, it’s still better than a lot of books burning up the charts right now thanks to the herd mentality. Waid and Perez have scads of potential to make Brave and the Bold one of DC’s best, but a couple kinks need to be worked out before I can rule this a bona fide success just yet.

The Rev’s column, “The Reverend’s Show”, shall be on the relaunched Shotgun.

Sequential Suicide: Rottingwood Road
Writers: Various
Artists: Various
803 Studios
Reviewed by Steve Ekstrom

Oftentimes, due to reasons of lack of accessibility or the nature of a frugal, budgeted reader, taking a risk on an independent book with a 9 or 10 dollar price tag can actually keep a reader from purchasing it. Something about this book captured my eye—it may have been the specter of a man walking down the eerie country road pictured on the cover or it may have been the polished, high quality look the book bore but I purchased the book nonetheless.

To preface the material—803 Studios’ Sequential Suicide is a genre-free anthology that sets up a thematic point that all the entrants must at least touch upon in their submitted material. Obviously, the title says it all: Rottingwood Road. Being from the southeastern U.S. and having traveled many a dark, eerie country road, I felt an intimate kinship to the material almost immediately. As a young writer, I felt even closer to the burgeoning contributors who may or may not have even seen print before. These initial forays into any artistic medium can be painstaking endeavors for young creators—so as I read Rottingwood Road I kept in mind that these relatively unknown creators aren’t Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, or Frank Miller…yet.

In an anthology, if you’re like me, you’ll find stories that blow you away, stories that aren’t anything but run-of-the-mill, and stuff that is forgettable or not so great. In an effort to look all of the short stories in Rottingwood Road, I decided to elaborate on each short with 1 to 3 lines of critical thought. Here we go, in no particular order:

“Rotten Wood” by Kim Herbst: Momentously prosaic, Kim’s story of a woman’s scorn is whimsical, minimal, and sufficient. I love the interesting “brush quality” of her artwork but I found her story to have an all too familiar twist ending that left me feeling a little bitter and cheated myself.

“Stasis: Rottingwood Road” by Rob Hicks: This one left a little to be desired—it was terribly short and incredibly vague in that the notion in the protagonist’s internal monologue made no indication towards the subject matter beyond the title and an almost metaphorical road without actually naming it. Hick’s artistic work here is average and uninspiring.

“Fall of the Triumvirate” by Elton Pruitt and Juan Romera: This is an ambitious story with a terrific tone and a well handled touch of magical realism for a finish. Juan Romera’s work is a mixture of Charlie Adlard meets Dean Haspiel—fantastic.

“Walking” by Mauricio Castro, Mark Gottlieb, and Carlos A. Campos: The most unique passage in the anthology—Castro and Gottlieb’s somber stroll down Rottingwood Road saunters with a seamless careful narrative that is, at its core, poetic. Carlos A. Campos provides a sequence of beautifully rendered images that are warm and haunting all at once. Easily one of the best shorts in the book.

“American Empire” by Charlie Brown, Rashad Doueet, and Clayton Brown: Honestly, I get what Brown, Doueet, and Brown are trying to do here but it was terribly clichéd and the artwork carried little substance to me—it was an action/pose-fest. The stilted, unoriginal dialogue and story were helped somewhat by the nice back story provided via the overlaid, front-loaded narrative.

“The Gunsmith” by Thomas Wells and Jessica Tanguay: Thoughtful but never once mentions or comes close to the centralized theme of the book—I wasn’t really moved to care about this piece. Its brevity, disregard for submission guidelines (editorial error perhaps), and lack of using a page to it’s potential (there is just too much negative space) left a lot to be desired—there’s just not enough there.

“The Confessional” by Grant Lafleche, Garry Brown and Thomas White: Another story with a slight touch upon the central connective—however, the tone and look of this book is noir-ish and interesting enough that I was enthralled only to have a vague payoff disappoint me. The artwork reminded me of Jim Calafiore or Marcelo Frusin.

“Down the Road” by Niall Presnall-Kelleher and Chris McJunkin: A well written horror story with an interestingly “heavy” style of artwork—the book has a pretty standard start and middle with a particularly open-ended finish which I liked.

“Rottingwood Road” by Ian Thomas, Shawn Tracy, and Kel Nuttal: A funny, well shaped story that had a nice playful, sci-fi feel to it. Tracy’s pencils and inks are amateurish, slightly distracting and stiff from frame to frame. Kel Nuttal’s presence as a letterer was noticeable and elevated the overall quality of the short.

“Tables Turned” by Steven Prouse and John Dacosta: Innocent and surreal, Prouse’s work is little more than an aside that garnered a simple, apathetic shrug of indifference to me. The real work is displayed in Dacosta’s deft fluidity of momentum—but his artistry is off putting in a way because of its abstract broad lined look.

“Down Rottingwood Road” by Anthony Hightower: Perhaps the most technically proficient of all the stories, Hightower delivers a very nicely polished story with beautifully rendered imagery. He has a great “eye” for dynamic panels that convey the story’s creepy tale well. Understandably placed as the first story in the anthology.

All in all, a great example of young talent entering the medium—it’s always nice to take chance on a book like this, I came away from the “Sequential Suicide” experience with a new perspective on the frontiers of independent publication.

Check out more of 803 Studios and their Sequential Suicide anthology series at http://www.803studios.net.

Powers #23
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Marvel/Icon
Reviewed by Steve Ekstrom

[I am admittedly a member of a select group of comic book readers that doesn’t have the palate for Brian Michael Bendis’ in-continuity work at Marvel Comics but I absolutely love Powers. I think that BMB and MAO put out the freshest, hard-hitting crime noir series in the comic book industry—with undercurrents of social relevancy and moments of embedded meta-sequential regard. I’ve been a faithfully happy reader since issue numero uno way back several years ago.

Until I cracked open issue #23 this week, that is. I actually screamed out loud, “I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!” after I finished the issue. I sincerely have an issue with how this book and its story points play out—it’s a narrative nightmare embedded in what seems to be a government conspiracy against a band of capes known as “The Heroes”, the pace of the story has been moving along at a fairly decent clip.

I’ve actually been riveted to this story for the past several months. Between Deena Pilgrim’s secreted powers and the developing murder/suspense/mystery that has been developing in the current forefront of the book, it would be hard to not want to stare in slack-jawed awe every issue like it were some sort of insane, causal train wreck. Enter a plot thread that hasn’t really been mentioned lately: Christian Walker has apparently been alive since the dawn of mankind; AND, apparently, the inherent goodness he represents has a very sinister polar opposite who appears in this issue and basically craps all over everything that has been established in this fantastic thriller thus far.

There is just too much going on and with the introduction of this new nameless, mysterious, oddly devil-like figure’s voice—not so much as his actual speaking voice but his voice that adds to the tone and shape of the story, his bearing of relevance to the status quo. To be honest, all I want to do is call a young priest and an old priest in reaction to this guy’s appearance in Walker’s apartment. The scene is terribly clichéd and this plot device seems almost “phoned in” by BMB. I hope this isn’t going to be a turning point in the quality of this book. Maybe my assumptions of the mechanics of this story are not correct but I doubt it.

I can only liken the rest of the issue to a moment where a young child is tossed into a body of water and told “swim” without so much as a lesson. Satan (I’m going to call the guy Satan because he is very seemingly Satan-esque to me) and Walker fight and in the process Satan lets Walker know in no certain terms, that he is not allowed to mess with “The Heroes”. Satan reveals he is, in fact, their “Father” and that Walker too has a son. In the middle of the fight, we skip to a moment in the car 6 minutes prior that recaps Deena’s impending revelation of gaining powers and keeping them a dangerous secret and how she longs to confess her secret to Walker.

Her secret is a fantastically delivered aspect of a piece of an entirety that makes up the rich tapestry already established within the book.

Back to task—Walker’s apartment building erupts into flames to Deena’s shock and dismay—“Hmm, could it be Satan? How convenient!”—and Walker emerges from a pile of rubbish wearing the Powers version of a Green Lantern suit.

Michael Avon Oeming’s artistry provides the stylishly noir tone and fast paced sense of urgency that Powers needs to deliver readers every month. His minimalist depth oftentimes supersedes the narrative context of some of Powers’ passages—and aids the story with little or no effort.

I don’t dislike this book—but a 4 page, 6 minute moment of chronological ambiguity and a really terse and played out “discourse with the devil” can set a man on his butt with a lot to think about in regards to the books he reads and why he reads them. The book isn’t racy enough to upset the faint of heart but if you like the mechanics of “how a book reads” then get out your heart meds because this is an example of poor storytelling devices and overwrought execution.

Steve is in demand. Just ask him.

Birds of Prey #103
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Nicola Scott & Doug Hazlewood
From: DC
Review by Corey Henson

The all-new, (mostly) all-different Birds of Prey have completed their first mission together, and, well, everything went a little pear-shaped there at the end, didn’t it? Granted, they succeeded in springing mob daughter Tabby Brennan out of the Mexican prison she was wrongfully held in, but that probably wasn’t a good thing since she seemingly killed her own father and wants to take over the “family business” now that she’s out. New teammate Manhunter was in business for herself all along, using the Birds and their resources to complete a counter-mission for her employers with the DEO. Worst of all, Oracle has been bested at her own game, as the subtly named Spy-Smasher has effectively shut down the former’s operations and blackmailed the Birds’ matron into working for her .

Like I said: pear-shaped. It sucks for them, but it’s good for the title’s faithful readers, because in the hands of writer Gail Simone, it’ll make for a good story when the Birds dig themselves out of the massive hole they’ve fallen into.

This issue concludes the first story arc since Simone wrote out founding member Black Canary and took the team in a new direction, that of a rotating squad of operatives-on-call (plus regulars Huntress and Lady Blackhawk). Frankly, the concept has been hit and miss so far. It’s a natural progression for the title, as it makes sense that the team would grow along with its success. Having new members come and go keeps the book from getting sedentary, and allows Simone to play hard and fast with the casts’ chemistry by throwing the occasional monkey wrench into the works.

On the other hand, the massive vacuum left in the wake of Canary’s departure a few months ago can‘t be overlooked. Dinah wasn’t just the team’s resident field leader and butt-kicker, she provided the heart and soul of the book. Her presence is irreplaceable; she brought out the best in Oracle and Huntress and made them richer characters. Big Barda’s arrival to the book is more than welcome, as I’ve been a fan of her since her time in the JLI and I can imagine Simone having a lot of fun playing off her somewhat abrasive, forceful character with the other powerful personalities on the team. (I just hope Dan Didio doesn’t read Birds of Prey. If he finds out there’s a JLI member running around the DCU unmolested, who knows what will happen to her. Frankly, Barda’s presence on that promo art for the upcoming Countdown scares the crap out of me.) Unfortunately, Judomaster hasn’t been given a chance to shine yet, and consequently hasn’t added anything positive to the book. Neither has the teenaged Batgirl-wannabe, Misfit (unless you count being annoying as hell as a positive).

Still, Gail Simone has more than earned a little time to get the book back on track again. She does have a top-notch art team in Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood providing back-up for her. Their clean lines and dynamic staging, combined with the vibrant colors provided by Hi-Fi Design, make for a beautiful-looking book. The Spy Smasher is a great new addition to the cast, as Oracle needs someone to challenge her status as the alpha female now that the Canary is slumming with the Justice League. And who isn’t looking forward to next issue’s throw down with the Secret Six?

All in all, the Birds aren’t flying quite as high as they once did, but who’s worried? The ingredients needed for success (a great writer, talented artists, and a solid, well-rounded cast) are still there, and it won‘t be long before this book is soaring again.

Corey Henson is looking forward to seeing next issue’s brawl between Big Barda and Knockout. He hopes it takes place in the same Mexican prison seen in the last few issues. That would be so hot.

Local #8
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Ryan Kelly
Published by Oni Press
Review by Sarah Jaffe

It seems that every love story has been told before, but at the same time, each one is new. Local, loosely the story of Megan and her travels around the country with each book a new city and a new stage in her life, stops here to finally give her a shot at a real relationship—maybe. It wouldn’t be a story without some conflict, though, so Megan’s got a choice to make. Creator Brian Wood referred to it as a “love story,” (quotes his) because like everything else in Local, the focus is on the messy and the real rather than the cute and dramatic.

The quintessential 80s John Hughes romance was the poor boy or girl trying to win over the rich, preppy boy or girl of his or her dreams (Pretty in Pink, Say Anything, Some Kind of Wonderful). More recently, we’ve seen a lot of the opposite story, where the poor girl thinks she wants the rich guy, but actually will be happier with the person more like her. Sometimes these social-class stories can seem trite, but there’s no denying the lines still exist.

Over seven issues we’ve gotten to know Megan a bit, seen her at her weirdest and most freaked out by people’s interest in her, and watched her flirt with bad ideas. This story fits in well with the character we’ve come to know, one whose experiences with relationships have left her completely confused as to what love and happiness look like. Local is designed for each issue to stand on its own, though, and even if you haven’t read any of Megan’s previous stories, you will have no problem with this one.

In many ways Megan is the quintessential twentysomething of this generation, knocking around from city to city in search of something she’s only vaguely aware of, trying her hand at various odd jobs (the stint as a waitress being practically mandatory). I can see myself in her fear of getting involved, her ultimate disappointment with each episode of her life. But she’s gotten older and maybe, finally, a bit wiser here. In some ways, too, the story of our (my) generation is the realization that it isn’t the money we’re after, but something larger, less distinct, and far more elusive. The rejection of the money and success personified in this story stands in for something bigger in Megan’s life, and in many of our own lives.

Brian Wood proves himself as comfortable with details of everyday, mundane existence as he is with life in a war zone. He and artist Ryan Kelly are aware of each tiny little detail that makes the scene perfect in its imperfection. Megan is cute but not your typical perfect comic girl, and messy apartments detailed with the perfect DVD collection and wine labels combine with sweat and candle wax to add to the indie film feel of each page. It’s not high drama—though the final scene is a little dramatic—it’s just the story of a life, screwups and all, rendered bold in black and white by a gifted artist.

Local is told at a different pace from most comics. Even though each issue is a complete story and about a year passes in between episodes, it feels leisurely, longer than it is, rather than crammed into a single book. So many books pack in information and whiz by, leaving you at the end feeling like you’ve got to re-read not only that issue, but the previous five just to figure out what happened. It seems like a luxury to pick up a single issue knowing that you don’t have to drill yourself on continuity or go search online for back issues (though you may want to). These are the books the bigger publishers should be studying if they want to bring new readers into the medium—particularly DC, with the Minx line on the way. Local is a story about a girl that guys will read too, a snapshot of a generation, and just damn good storytelling, proving that comics don’t need capes, costumes, or violence to be great reading.

Did I mention that Sarah starts on her Master’s Degree soon? Congrats, Sarah!

DMZ #16
From: DC/Vertigo Comics
Writer: Brian Wood
Art: Riccardo Burchielli and Jeromy Cox
Review By: Lucas Siegel

This book, for the uninitiated, is Brian Wood’s opus and commentary on war, politics, and even plain personal relationships. Brian Wood books, like Brian K Vaughan books, are difficult for me to review, because they deliver such consistent enjoyment to me. Month in and month out, I look forward to this book, amongst others by this talented writer.

This issue comes in the middle of a story line that has our hero, Matty, being completely broken down. All his friends, all his contacts, all his support, are being destroyed in the wake of a group of mercenaries taking over security in the DMZ.

Most of this issue’s exposition is done by a slightly naïve news report that is juxtaposed over what’s really happening, and an inside-man; someone who has infiltrated the TrustWell Security force and found out what they’re really up to. The news report was a little too heavy handed for my tastes. For readers who’ve been with this book for nearly a year and a half, yet another report telling us things are messed up and “possibly” corrupt is just more of the same. There was so much text, in fact, that it took away from the ferocity of the art in those panels.

I do like, however, how well the breaking down of Matty is going. He has seen a lot of what the readers have seen, but has been slower to give up his hope in the situation. Even after watching people die, and being nearly killed himself multiple times, he’s still held on. In the last two pages of this issue, Matty finally realizes just how screwed he AND this city really are. That realization is captured perfectly in a single wide-screen panel that shows the shocked and appalled look on his face.

We don’t get to see my favorite character in this issue, Zee, though she IS mentioned, which I hope means we’ll be seeing more of our favorite medic in the near future.

If you were to pick this up off the shelf and have it be your first issue of DMZ, you’ll be lost, confused, feel preached at, and you’ll love the pretty artwork. If you’ve been following the book, or checked out an issue or two, this is more of the same in both good and bad ways. The best political commentary, which I would definitely give the first year’s worth of this book a nod as, allows you to make your own political assumptions based on what goes on in the story. That is to say, it doesn’t necessarily tell you how to think, but allows your thoughts to naturally emerge from the events and dialogue. This issue, unfortunately, pulls away from that a bit, in favor of changing Matty’s perspective. Hopefully that purpose has been served and we’ll see more of the familiar feel to the book in the conclusion to this arc. Overall, this is still a book I will be reading for as long as it’s written. This issue gets 4 shoulder stabs out of 5.

Listen to Lucas and Janelle on “Play or Die” at FearlessRadio.com.

Pellet Reviews!

Marvel Adventures The Avengers #10 (Marvel; by Caleb) When Bruce Banner detects a unique energy signature, he and fellow Avengers Captain America, Iron Man and Wolverine track it to it’s source—a nearby renaissance fair (“Look, Sir Robin! Yon newbs have confused Ren Fair with a Hero Con,” one regular remarks to another upon seeing them). Something sinister is afoot, however, as Morgan Le Fay and The Black Knight (Dane Whitman) trap their victims through jousting tournaments and addictive role-playing computer games like World of Slaycraft: Place of Pillage, which has Spidey and Giant Girl in its thrall. To save the day, they’ll need to do some jousting, riddle-solving and smashing, making a new enemy and a new ally in the process. It’s not quite as brilliant as last month’s all-MODOC issue, but that’s a pretty high standard to hold any comic to—after all, can anything compete with the all-MODOC issue?

Punisher War Journal #4 (Marvel; by Caleb) Finally freed from the shackles of Civil War tie-indom, writer Matt Fraction can cut loose and deliver the goods with this nice, funny and rather brutal done-in-one, “Small Wake for a Tall Man.” Remember when Punny blasted Stilt-Man into oblivion? Well, the bottom-feeding supervillains all gather at a bar to bid him farewell in bottom-feeding supervillain fashion. The Shocker, The Eel, The Rhino, The Grizzly, The Gibbon, The Armadillo and even a few guys who aren’t named after animals make the scene, as does a reprogrammed Doombot, Spidey, The Prowler and a mysterious but familiar-looking bartender. Honestly, the concept’s not all that original, but Fraction Punisher-izes it nicely (even if the results are unlikely to stick; I mean, two of these guys appear elsewhere in the MU this very week). My only complain was the guest art of Mike Deodato, which is murky to the point of muddiness, and far too representational for these sorts of characters. When I read a story featuring a goofy, cartoony guy like Armadillo, I’d prefer the art be similarly goofy and cartoony.

She-Hulk #16 (Marvel; by Caleb) Dan Slott’s “Planet Without a Hulk” continues to pit She-Hulk Agent of SHIELD against Hulk villains, and this time she’s tackling the Wendingo. In addition to her new supporting cast of agents, she also gets some assistance from Wolverine. Their team-up leads to perhaps the coolest fastball special ever, Shulkie hitting on Wolvie and some clarification over her past with Juggernaut (“I didn’t sleep with Juggernaut! Why does everyone keep saying that?”). Slott writes a tightly-constructed done-in-one team-up that moves the greater plot forward and is full of fun little moments, and the art by Rick Burchett and Cliff Rathburn is perfect: clean, smooth, bright and easy-to-read, with panels flowing into one another naturally. Now if only they could take over cover duties too…

Double-Sniper-Shot Pellet: Amazing Spider-Man #538 (Marvel; by Steve): The moment of truth comes and it goes. Civil War ends very well in this book without actually spoiling Civil War #7. This book has sufficiently “stolen the scene” from the actual Civil War main title several times in the past year, so much so, that even the most diehard fans are just ready to see someone in a Spider-Man outfit doing SOMETHING other than being Peter Parker: Man on the Run! I’m not spoiling anything by saying “OH MY GOD, AUNT MAY’S BEEN SHOT!” She’s died too many times to count—and that shot looked to be totally “Marvel friendly” in that—it can be downplayed to “merely a flesh wound” if Marvel doesn’t have the stones to make it “mortal”. The best part of this issue is the pro versus con brawl for it all that actually took place in CW #7—I thought this issue was going to signify my 31 year run Amazing Spider-Man books coming to an end. Pleasantly, I’m glad I was wrong. All that is important now is reorganizing the Spider-Quo and telling good post-Civil War stories.

The Immortal Iron Fist #3 (Marvel; review by Koben Kelly): Opening with the introduction of Bei Bang-Wen, the Iron Fist of 1860, this third issue does not disappoint. Fraction and Bru keep things bubbling for Danny Rand. After being drained by the usage of the Fist by someone else last issue, our man Dan goes looking for the source of his pain. Aja’s scenes of Rand jumping and flipping around town are brilliant. When the two actually meet, what almost turns into a typical hero meets hero fistfight becomes something of a revelation. Peppered into the main story is a flashback to an earlier Fist’s days of whores and opium, illustrated by an alternate artist. So, just what IS the deal with the naked stork-girls, anyway? As always, Hollingsworth’s colors seal the deal. Full of originality and energy, this series is easily predicted to last a long time by yours truly.

The Spirit #3 (DC; review by Koben): Again, Darwyn Cooke proves himself worthy as follower in Eisner’s footsteps. This tale serves as a modern origin tale for the man in blue. While some odd art and color choices are made, this issue would have made Will, himself, proud. Even an origin of Ebony’s modern interpretation is provided, with explanation of his job as cabbie, to boot. The most appealing factor for me was Cooke’s experimentation with changing the narrating voice from character to character throughout the whole story. Different identifying fonts are used to signal who is narrating what. The ending seems to indicate that this particular issue will lead into a story arc in the near future, what with the missing body being tied into what made the Spirit into the man he is today. Kudos to Cooke for the Eisner-esque graphic used for the story title. Respectful and fitting. In an indirect fashion, reading this issue made me pine for the animated New Frontier film. When collected into a trade, these stories will make for a wonderful way to introduce non-fans to comics.

The Helmet of Fate: Black Alice (DC; review by Koben): Black Alice is one of my favorite newbie characters in the DCU. The concept of her powers, mimicry of other characters’ magical abilities, has so much underused potential. Who else but Gail Simone would fit as scribe for this issue of the Helmet one-shots? Alice is a teenage goth girl who doesn’t fit in, and who doesn’t give a rat’s ace. Her mother’s only recently been re-animated, and her dad’s been driven to drink. The Helm of Nabu enters her life and weirdness entails. Alice’s internal desires begin to be indulged, only in horrible and dangerous ways. Even her principal thinks she’s to blame. Gail highlights the awful treatment oddballs, like Alice, are subjected to on a daily basis with the insight that makes me think Ms. Simone has had experience with being an outcast, herself. Art chores are handled by Duncan Rouleau, the man most in need of a gig drawing the Metal Men (again), in a manner that recalls old-school Bachalo. If you dig goth culture, Birds of Prey, or the magical side of the DCU… give this book a shot. An enjoyable one-time dose of Black Alice.

The Nightly News #4 (Jonathan Hickman, review by Sarah): Tonight, on The Nightly News: The Hand of the Voice realizes the mess he’s gotten into after a visit to a deprogrammer. The untimely death of a talk-show hostess. The rat in the Cult of the Voice comes clean. And the media and the government are discussing something called the Fairness in Media act—which might force the media to “reactivate our fact-checking departments.” All is set for an explosion—literally and figuratively. The Nightly News is as focused as its main characters, but it aims to explode myths on all sides of its major questions and sneak information into your brains at the same time. Only two issues are left, but it’s not too late to catch up on the last three and get this one—it’s setting us up for some serious action. It’s easy to read and looks good and this issue doesn’t even have anyone getting shot in the head. Although that’s probably why you’d buy it in the first place.

52 #42 (DC; by Troy): With only a small detour for Montoya, the series-long saga of Ralph Dibny roars to a conclusion in this issue with some good twists, a couple of obvious reveals (if you’ve been paying attention) and a fairly surprising ending that actually teases more to come. The proceedings are elevated by the art of Darick Robertson, a master of facial expression. He expertly demonstrates the rage, hurt, and intelligence that have powered Ralph the last several weeks, and his ultimate confrontation with his antagonist is a pleasure to read. I didn’t expect the involvement of another DCU supernatural mainstay, but Ralph’s overall plan is inspired. Some won’t be happy, but this was a rock-solid issue with a huge payoff. Nicely done.

(New) Battlestar Galactica #6 (Dynamite); by Troy): Sharon/Boomer gets more of a spotlight in this issue as the series spends more time exploring one of the great throughlines of the TV show: the duality of the many Cylons. Nigel Raynor’s art continues to grow on me in this book. Although this series is different in overall tone than the TV series, I appreciate Greg Pak’s impulse to take it in a more action-oriented direction for the page. Part of what makes the show work on a psychological level is its great acting; I enjoy that Pak takes the concept in a slightly different direction for this decidedly different medium.

(Classic) Battlestar Galactica #4 (Dynamite; by Troy): The Adventures of Starbuck When He Was a Guy continue! Actually, Rick Remender totally gets that old-school space opera feel that the original series carried, and he makes great use of it here. This is a book that aspires to the Saturday-afternoon-serial ideology, rather than the dark reinvention of the new show. It’s good fun, and Starbuck’s various romantic entanglements are a sharply observed subplot.

Highlander #4 (Dynamite; by Troy): Although I’ve mildly enjoyed the first couple of issues of this book, I’d have to say that overall, I’m just not feeling it. There’s some occasionally kinetic art by Lee Moder, and some great covers by the likes of Tony Harris, but I don’t feel like there’s a lot of new ground being covered. The thing that makes several of the other Dynamite adaptations or licenses shine is either an uncanny replication of tone or the feeling of a fresh take. Highlander, unfortunately for me, just seems to rest in a gray area. It’s competently done, but feels average.

Pellets Special: Civil War #7

Civil War #7 (Marvel; by Caleb) Considering the amount of build-up to this issue, there was precious little blow-up in the climax. Few of the conflicts and storylines introduced in the main series see resolution here, and surprisingly little is done to build a new status quo. We see Reed and Sue reunite in a scene that seemed as forced and graceless as the one that split them up just three issues ago, we see Tony Stark accept a job he was offered last December in New Avengers #25 and we find out whether or not any major players like Captain America die (They don’t). I would have been less disappointed if the 18-page fight scene fulfilled the promise of the last six issues—you know, the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe at war with one another—but the time crunch that the superior art team hit in the later issues is visible in almost every panel of the book. It might have been too much to expect a George Perez-type spread here perhaps, but McNiven doesn’t even deliver the sort of hero-packed panels he managed in #1 and #6; most of the fight panels consist of background-less images of a half-dozen or so heroes in random poses, and there’s little or no consequence to any blows landed (Knock Bishop’s head into the ground in one panel, he’s back up and fighting someone else a few pages later). Many players simply disappear (Storm was in #6, but not #7, for example, and the all-powerful Sentry gets downed immediately with a couple of punches to his glass jaw), even those who make dramatic, splash-page entrances like Namor. While I was relieved there was no cosmic reset button in the form of Dr. Strange or Loki, I was just as disappointed that Stark, Reed and Pym never justify their actions in any logical way, that I have no idea what happened to any of the major players outside of Stark, Cap and the New Avengers, and that I waited so long for so little. Why go to the trouble to complete rearrange the Marvel Universe to set the pieces in play for a dramatic superhero war, and then not deliver said war?

Civil War #7 (Marvel; review by Koben Kelly): So, this is what we’ve all been waiting for? I’ve got to say that it’s a bit of a let down. Especially for someone who’s been anti-reg, all along. The pictures in this final issue were pretty, but I really wanted a clear victory. A weepy Cap realizing the only losers would be the norms who got in the way? Terribly anti-climactic, I feel. I also didn’t care for Wondy being a dick to Cloak. The Vision disabling Iron Man’s armor was a great moment, and Cap knocking him to Hell and back was a bit of nasty fun, but after everything the two team leaders had done to each other… that was it? Cap just up and surrenders, and every single Secret Avenger stops fighting on a dime? Sue gives Taskmaster the stink-eye, and he shakes in his boots? The weapon whose malfunction killed a man is put back into usage… only to be dismantled immediately? The amazing/spectacular joke was a clever bit, though. I can easily state that I like Stark sufficiently less than I did before this series. At least I can look forward to cool spin-offs from Slott and Fraction after all is said and done. *sigh*


Your Best Shots host Troy Brownfield founded ShotgunReviews.com and serves as the Editor-in-Chief. He’s a professor of English, a writer for Fangoria Comics, and a journalist for a number of print and online sources. Anyone wishing to submit their titles for review can contact Troy at psikotyk@aol.com. For other relevant info, visit www.smwc.edu, www.myspace.com/shotgunreviews and, of course, www.shotgunreviews.com.

[Quail-Man]

HOLY CRAP FIRST POST!!

Civil War continues to be divisive... I liked it though. I think it was fairly logical and the conclusion was thought provoking even if it wasn't awe inspiring.

[PreCrisisDC]

52 was as good a story as there has been in the series and Darick's art was perfectly matched. Ironfist is a well written book!!!

[Hokeyboy]

RE: Brave and the Bold #1:

Why does a comic *have* to have "OH SNAP!!" moments? Why can't it simply tell a fun story with great art? Because that's what I got out of the issue, in massive abundance.


I don't need earth-shattering, quintessentially defnining character moments out of each issue. I want to see Batman and Green Lantern teaming up, in character. With George Perez art. I think my prayers were more than answered.

[Terrorbyte]

Thumbs up on ASM, which contains little more than an uninteresting recap of Civil War #7 and a reused, fifteen year old plot device? A thumbs down on Wonder Woman #4 that's more worried about continuity (seems to fit to me) and lateness than content?

I'm really too stunned right now to form any kind of coherent response. I tend to never have a negative reaction to these Best Shots reviews, but those two are frustratingly inexplicable.

[ThorEl3]

And it's for many of the same reasons Troy cited above, that I dropped Wonder Woman.

A shame, really. She's always been one of my favorites, but with the recent re-Silver Age-ization of the DCU, and the perpetual lateness of both her series (and Action Comics and Superman), that they're no longer getting my $2.99-each per month.

[skeletorjr]

Thumbs up for Brave and the Bold, lots of fun.

[LaughingJak]

I'm feeling very alone in the fact that I enjoyed Civil War for what it was - a pretty smooth start to some cool Marvel storytelling. I think the whole 'let's be actual, certified, policemen' as opposed to 'a bunch of dudes running around in tights beating on eachother' arguement was pretty clear and logical. And at the end of the day - it ended the only way it could. No one was gonna stop fighting unless Iron Man or Cap stopped, and Cap was right. The citizens of the Marvel U weren't safe any more and they were just bringing the walls down around 'em fighting change that was already gonna happen. I dunno... maybe I'm missing why this book sucked so much?

[CodeGuy]

I really like the pellet reviews. I'm especially grateful when there's a pellet review for something that also got a full review, since I don't always want something so long with a full plot description. Is there any way we could get the secondary pellet reviews more often?

[durkadurka]

So, Civil War is done. Frankly, it's about time. Now we can discuss more important things.
Namely...Tintin!!! YES!!! Tintin is the Shiznite, and whoever doesn't know about it must get on the train, immediately!
I didn't care too much for Brave and the Bold. The story was not very compelling, and (SPOILER ALERT, but not really) the inclusion of the book of Destiny is, thus far, not a good call. If you are going to include something created by Neil Gaiman, do it well. Do it extremely well. Otherwise you butcher something that i love, and i will not stand for it.

[skeletorjr]

Doesn't the Book of Destiny predate Neil Gaiman's DC work by a long time? I may be wrong, I think it's from DC Comics Presents from the 70s, or one of their horror anthology books

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by skeletorjr

Doesn't the Book of Destiny predate Neil Gaiman's DC work by a long time? I may be wrong, I think it's from DC Comics Presents from the 70s, or one of their horror anthology books

You could be quite right. I'm not that old, so i'm not sure. However, i'm thinking most people would relate it to Destiny of the Endless, especially since it's still got a couple chain links on it.

[AirDave817]

I'll go ahead and call it a hit. For my money's-worth it gave me what I was looking for.

I don't need to see animosity between GL and Batman. Already saw that in Green Lantern: Rebirth. I already know what Batman thinks of the entire DC Universe. If the fight in the Batcave is the weakest part of the story, I can live with it. I guess I can live with Batman not being the anchor of the title, too. Maybe this can be a combination of both The Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents. I like the idea of the title being story driven rather than the Batman team-up of the month or Superman team-up of the month book.

I will miss the giant penny in the Batcave, unless that turns out not to be a piece of continuity that Waid was talking about affecting the titles outside of B & B.

I was sad that The Brave and the Bold was discontinued for The Outsiders in the '80's. Bummed that the Crisis negated DC Comics Presents, too.

But I am really glad to see the team-up book back. Hopefully it will beat back the trend toward event-comics.

Looking forward to Ralph Dibney's turn in B & B -

[durkadurka]

Oh yah, and what's the deal with Jon Stewart? Weren't we supposed to find out what he's been up to in Green Lantern like forever ago? And he just shows up in B&B? I don't really know how exactly this fits into continuity (or not) but throw me a frickin bone here.

[kcekada]

Totally disagree on the Wonder Woman review.

Heinberg has fashioned a Wonder Woman that uses the best elements of the past incarnations. While I don't get the long delays between issues (yeah, this isn't exactly War & Peace), I do appreciate the final results.

The Dodsons artwork probably is elevating my overall enjoyment of the series, but that is true of any comic for me. The best ones have a good mesh of both writing and artwork.

[EMeadow]

While I haven't read Wonder Woman #4 yet, (mail order won't come in for another week) I did look at how issue 4 ended.

The good thing is, you could actually extrapolate an ending out of that 4th issue in one of those symbolic "war never ends" moments ala last episode of Angel and go on to the issue 5 and so forth without feeling like you missed something.

So it has that for it at least.

[Crusader K]

Originally Posted by Hokeyboy

RE: Brave and the Bold #1:

Why does a comic *have* to have "OH SNAP!!" moments? Why can't it simply tell a fun story with great art? Because that's what I got out of the issue, in massive abundance.


I don't need earth-shattering, quintessentially defnining character moments out of each issue. I want to see Batman and Green Lantern teaming up, in character. With George Perez art. I think my prayers were more than answered.

Yeah, y'know, I have to agree. I don't CARE about character moments and such. I can read Batman or Green Lantern for that. I don't want to see the "tension" between the two heroes that's existed for over 10 years cause it's OLD NEWS. I mean . . its a New Earth right? Can't we move on with the relationship with these two characters.

I liked the camaraderie between the two and when I buy a team up book all I really want to see is story and action. You can leave the introspective stuff to the individual books.

And as far as Perez' art goes - it was awesome as always. No apologies for that!

[Toneloak]

wow only pellet reviews on CW. hmm.....Is that a statement?

[Brenticles]

I was surprised and disappointed by Black Alice. Lori Zechlin always seemed like an angry character but very caring to her father. She didn't leave or do certain things in her BoP appearances because it would hurt her father. On the other hand she was very angry at her mother for dying and the drug dealers for selling the stuff to her that killed her. Now she reanimates her Mom which drives her Dad to drink, but she doesn't know why he's drinking or that her actions have hurt him. Huh? She was much more aware in previous appearances, which I thought was part of her charm. Despite everything that happened and all of her anger at the world and everyone she still had enough self awareness and awareness of her father's emotions to restrain herself. It was because of her father's love and her concern for him that she didn't just obliterate everything.

This wasn't as fun as her BoP appearances to me and I think it was the lack of caring relationship between Lori and her father. Losing that relationship lost the grounding for the character. I'm still a fan of the character and think she has great potential, but without the caring heart deep down (which in my opinion is most poignantly and effectively shown through the relationship with her father) I will begin to care much less about her.

[Nukeboy]

Originally Posted by durkadurka

You could be quite right. I'm not that old, so i'm not sure. However, i'm thinking most people would relate it to Destiny of the Endless, especially since it's still got a couple chain links on it.

Destiny wasn't a Neil Gaiman creation. He appeared with his book in the previously mentioned horror anthology.

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by Nukeboy

Destiny wasn't a Neil Gaiman creation. He appeared with his book in the previously mentioned horror anthology.

Well fine, i'm totally wrong. However, i still relate it to Gaiman's work. I'm sure a lot of other people will too, because it's so high profile and much more recent than whatever horror anthology it was in. So there.

[BamaRainbow]

From Corey's review of Birds of Prey:

"This issue concludes the first story arc since Simone wrote out founding member Black Canary and took the team in a new direction, that of a rotating squad of operatives-on-call (plus regulars Huntress and Lady Blackbird). Frankly, the concept has been hit and miss so far. It’s a natural progression for the title, as it makes sense that the team would grow along with its success. Having new members come and go keeps the book from getting sedentary, and allows Simone to play hard and fast with the casts’ chemistry by throwing the occasional monkey wrench into the works."

Unless I missed the name change, that should be Lady Blackhawk.

[alazar]

Well, C.V. is over. And it went out like a lamb. I could not have
been more disappointed if they had a last panel with J. Jonah
Jameson waking-up in a cold sweat and his wife saying, " it's only
a dream dear". Cap. giving up when he is the victor? That kind of
far left story telling does nothing but wine like a weak knee'd pacifist.
Give Cap some balls here.

ASM was blah. Pretty weak cop-out. First we finally get Aunt May
with a strong personality, then she gets shot. We've seen that poor ol'
girl die (supposedly) have how many heart attacks; and now she takes
a bullet.

It's getting so that I expect May to be the punching bag more than Peter.

[foxhound421]

Originally Posted by Hokeyboy

RE: Brave and the Bold #1:

Why does a comic *have* to have "OH SNAP!!" moments? Why can't it simply tell a fun story with great art? Because that's what I got out of the issue, in massive abundance.


I don't need earth-shattering, quintessentially defnining character moments out of each issue. I want to see Batman and Green Lantern teaming up, in character. With George Perez art. I think my prayers were more than answered.

i totally agree. i'm starting to get sick of "earth(s)-shattering" events. this was the best book i read last week by far.

[alazar]

Originally Posted by foxhound421

i totally agree. i'm starting to get sick of "earth(s)-shattering" events. this was the best book i read last week by far.

You guy got me interested in the series now. I'm heading over to myLCS today.